McKinney Planning and Zoning Commission members voted 6-0 to recommend approval of a rezoning request for the project at a Jan. 28 meeting, with commission member Jesse Conrad abstaining from the vote.
The details
The development, located on roughly 10.8 acres at the northeast corner of Lake Forest Drive and future Collin McKinney Parkway, is expected to include 102 homes, according to city documents.
The homes will range from 872 square feet to 1,523 square feet, and will feature both two- and three-bedroom floor plan options, project documents state. The project will also include a mix of one- and two-story buildings.
“You’ll see a good mix of roof lines,” said Eric Little, who serves as the director of development for real estate company Zeal for Living. “Even though the underlying zoning is multifamily, it’s not going to look like multifamily. It’s really going to look like a for-sale townhome community.”
The development will be age-restricted and offer homes for active adults ages 55 and older, Eric Little said, a representative of real estate company Zeal for Living. The community will also include a resident clubhouse with amenities such as a pool, fitness center, and gathering areas. The community will also feature:
- A fenced dog park
- Open space amenities and pedestrian trails
- A community garden and greenhouse
- An outdoor fire pit
The rezoning requested wouldn’t change the current Planned Development zoning type on the tract, but rather change the associated development standards.
The change would allow for up to seven units per building compared to the current allowance of two units per building.
“That product type ... generally requires most of the living space to be on the ground floor so because of that, we needed the [building] footprints to be a little larger and to not lose unit counts and affect financial feasibility, that just required us to attach some units,” Little said.
Despite the change to the number of units per building, the development would still be subject to the same overall density requirements, which allows up to 10 units per acre, city documents state.
Sam Franklin, a representative of McKinney-based Morphic Development, said a commercial project was initially planned for the site but that the right-of-way dedication for the future extension of Collin McKinney Parkway affected that development plan.
“After the Collin McKinney acquisition and expansion was finalized, we were left with ... a long, more narrow piece [of land],” Franklin said. “Less than ideal for the commercial development that the area really called for.”
“We think this proposal with the small change from the two ... unit max per building to seven unit max really actually adds to the ability to blend the product in with the ... product type to the north,” Franklin said, noting that a neighboring development from Grand Homes features both single family homes as well as attached townhome units.
Looking ahead
The commission’s recommendation for approval will be considered alongside the rezoning request by McKinney City Council members. Final action on the request is expected to take place at a Feb. 18 City Council meeting, city staff said.
